What's an SEO?

Why does SEs hate SEO companies?

SEO is an abbreviation for "search engine optimizer" or "seach enging optimization." Many SEOs, agencies and consultants provide valuable services for websites and their owners, from writing copy, giving advice on site architecture to helping find relevant directories in which their site should be submitted. On the other hand, there are also unethical SEOs which have given the industry a bad name through overly aggressive marketing efforts and utilzing techniques which attempt to unfairly manipulate search engine results in their favor.

Here are some tips that may help you distinguish between an SEO that will improve your site get your site dropped from search engine results altogether.

• Be wary of SEO firms and web consultants or agencies that send you email out of the blue.
• Choose wisely.
• Be careful if a company is secretive or won't clearly explain what they intend to do.
• Be sure to understand where the money is being spent on.
• No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.
• Make sure you're protected legally.
• You should never have to link to an SEO.
• Talk to many SEOs, and ask other SEOs if they'd recommend the firm you're considering.

What are the most common abuses a website owner is likely to encounter?

• Shadow domains
• Doorway pages

If you have any doubts, you should trust your gut feelings and feel free to walk away if the SEO:

• owns shadow domains
• puts links to their other clients on doorway pages
• offers to sell keywords in the address bar
• doesn't distinguish between actual search results and ads that appear in search results
• guarantees ranking, but only on obscure, long keyword phrases you would get anyway
• operates with multiple aliases or falsified WHOIS info
• gets traffic from "fake" search engines, spyware, or scumware
• has had domains removed from Google's index or is not itself listed in Google